this time of year is always the longest. once we make that turn after the holidays and then new year's, it seems time moves at the pace of a snail. january was kind of brutal with all the snow and polar vortex action. so i'm trying to be more optimistic about february given that it's the shortest month that we've got all year.

but it's easy to be optimistic when you've got a new little hairy dude in your life. a few days ago me and my husband adopted a 10-month old chihuahua mix and we named him quint! quint basically because it's a rad name, but also for all you Jaws fans out there, Capt. Quint. the character is near and dear to mine and frank's heart, plus he's a total badass and doesn't take any crap. we're already seeing some of those traits in our quint, but he also possesses a really loving personality, with an super cute underbite that shows off his pearly whites. his favorite things include: sleeping on our laps at ALL times, curling up in little balls, eating peanut butter cookies, snuggling and giving lots of kisses. all-in-all he's a very sweet dream. i'm already dreaming up of all the homemade doggy treats to make! any links or suggestions are super duper welcome!

back to seasons, months of the year and food...i've been dreaming of spring and its bounty of green. green pestos, green salads, and big, fresh veggie bowls. while we all wait for that day to come, i offer you this equally as tasty roasted veggie bowl. these are my absolute favorite vegetables to roast together, i make them at least once or twice a week. this time, i decided to switch it up and throw them in a big vessel of a bowl and top it off with some garlicky kale tahini. it's totally a super easy dish, that nourishes me all week long, especially in the doldrums of winter.

herb roasted veggie bowl w/ a kale-tahini sauce

2 large or 3 small yams (or sweet potatoes), halved and sliced into half moons

3 carrots, diced about 1/2 inch thick

1 vidalia onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 handfuls shiitake mushrooms, sliced

7-8 brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered

4 rosemary sprigs

1/2 cup parsley, minced

1 teaspoon ground paprika

1/2 teaspoon medium grain sea salt

a good coating of olive oil (about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons)

kale-tahini sauce

1/2 cup tahini

2/3 cup cold water

2 large kale leaves, de-stemmed and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, smashed

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

instructions

make the tahini sauce

in a medium-sized saucepan of boiling water, cook kale until wilted - about 35-45 seconds. with a slotted spoon, transfer kale to a boil of ice water; let cool and drain. squeeze excess water out and place in the bowl of a food processor

add the tahini, water, lemon, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. blend, scraping down the sides of the bowl until you have reached desired consistency. (for a more fluid, runnier sauce add more water). place in the refrigerator until ready to use

veggie bowl

rinse the quinoa and place in saucepan with 1 3/4 cups of water. bring to boil, stir, and cover the pot; turn heat to low and cook 10-15 minutes. remove from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. transfer to a large bowl

preheat the oven to 375° and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper

combine yams, carrots, onions and mushrooms in a large bowl, add the olive oil, mix and evenly to coat the veggies. add the salt, paprika, parsley and rosemary; mix. in a small bowl combine the brussels sprouts with olive oil to coat and a sprinkle of salt and paprika, set aside. divide the vegetables and herbs between the two baking sheets and bake for 40-55 minutes - in the last 15 minutes add the brussels sprouts and roast for remainder of cooking time

add the roasted vegetables to the large bowl and combine with the quinoa. serve in individual portions with the tahini sauce